Wednesday, February 17, 2010

I haven't cooked much quinoa since I fell in love with millet, but I do miss it. Millet and quinoa are roughly the same size and I often substitute one for the other, but they taste very different and I could never pick a favorite. I was thrilled to find this recipe in the cookbook of the month because it sounded like a great excuse to cook quinoa again. I had all of the ingredients on hand (well, not really, but I made it work anyway), and it was a fantastic dinner. It's not a Thai dish, but it has similar flavors, and I loved it.

Heat oil over medium heat in a large saute pan. Add chicken to the pan and brown for a few minutes. Then flip it over, cover the pan, and cook for 5 more min. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside. Add onion, garlic, and chipotle pepper to the pan and cook until the onion is tender. Then stir in curry powder, cumin, allspice, salt and pepper, and quinoa, and cook for a minute or so, stirring constantly. Add the water and coconut milk, bring to a boil, and place the chicken thighs on top of the quinoa. Cover the pan, reduce heat to low, and cook until chicken is no longer pink (about 20 min for boneless, skinless thighs). Serves 3.

I just made this tonight. I found it by Google-ing a few ingredients I had in my pantry. I opened a can of chipotles and put the rest in an ice cube tray to freeze individually. I added chopped cilantro at the end of cooking for a little color. Very good recipe. I will make it again!